With coach ‘egging’ her on, lawn bowler Serena Tiong hopes to shine at Commonwealth Games

SINGAPORE – National lawn bowler Serena Tiong still gets choked up when she thinks about eggs.

One of her fondest memories as an athlete is how her coach Bernard Foo made sure that she would not go hungry during the May 11-16 World Bowls Indoor Championships in Victoria, Australia.

As their accommodation did not provide breakfast, Foo, 71, got up early every day to prepare hard-boiled eggs to go along with bread and tuna from the convenience store.

He would cook four eggs for her – two for breakfast and two for a quick snack in between games.

Fighting to hold back her tears, the 38-year-old teacher told The Straits Times: “He’s very caring, like a father…

“He has been very supportive, always coming down when I have extra training.

“When we competed in (Australia), it was just me and him and he was the one who prepared my hard-boiled eggs in the morning, making sure that I ate well and rested well.

“He’s always there (for me)... and I’m still very touched.”

While she finished third out of seven in her section, narrowly missing out on a spot in the last eight, she defeated four of her six opponents, including Australia’s former world No. 1 Kelsey Cottrell.

Foo, who has been with the national side as a player and a coach for over three decades, said he just wanted his athletes to have the strength to compete.

He coached Tiong after she picked up lawn bowls in 2021 and sent her to her first overseas competition in the sport, the Japan International Open, in 2022.

“I brought her to Japan brand new and she made it,” he said.

“She didn’t trust herself but I trusted her and we managed to get a bronze, and that was a very good start.”

Tiong is no stranger to the world of competitive sport. She spent years as a national floorballer before becoming a referee and coach.

She had picked up lawn bowls during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, after coming across a flier advertising the sport.

With floorball competitions and training on pause due to safe management measures, she decided to give lawn bowls a try.

She then realised she was one of the younger lawn bowlers, noting that this “looks like something I can play for the next 40 to 50 years”.

The mother of two added that “it was a desire to represent the country again” that prompted her to get back into the sporting arena.

The birth of her first child in 2018 had prompted her to step back from competitive floorball as she remained only a “weekend warrior”.

She added: “I didn’t like the aches and pains actually and my knees were not as strong as last time. So childbirth made a difference, then I thought, ‘lawn bowls seem OK’.”

The low-impact nature of the sport meant Tiong could keep playing well into her second pregnancy in 2023. She even took part in competitions until the 32nd week of her pregnancy.

“That was a statement to a lot of people that I can still play sports,” she added.

The tactical aspect of the sport also keeps her hooked.

“After every game, I realised it is really about the tactics and it keeps your mind active,” said Tiong.

“One thing I like about lawn bowls is that I can play four different disciplines – singles, pairs, triples, fours.

“All my life, I’ve been in team sports and it was always depending on others. Good or bad, I will always give credit to other people.

“As much as you think it’s (from) 100 to zero, there’s still fitness involved in lawn bowls, and any kind of physical activity would help in any sport, whether it’s the mental or the physical side.

“And you need the stamina for a tournament that lasts for three to five consecutive days under the sun, with three to four multiple games in a day.”

Despite the stereotype of lawn bowls being an “old people’s sport”, Tiong noted that there have been some newcomers to the national squad who are in their 20s and 30s.

As it turns out, she will be the oldest among four national lawn bowlers at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow from July 23 to Aug 2.

Asked about her target, Tiong, who is competing in the women’s singles, said: “Going to the Commonwealth Games after only five years (in the sport) is very, very rare.

“So the expectation for anybody representing Singaporeans is to come back with a medal, but realistically, going into the second round – which means a bronze medal – would be ideal.

“The challenge is really, really hard and hopefully, this is just my first Games and many more to come.”